Month: December 2016

Ravenna Nocerre awakened. Dreamless sleep had left her the gift of headache. She labored to open her dark eyes. The faint gentle light in the room reaffirmed the stark reality of her imprisonment. Unfamiliar stiffness beset four-hundred-year-old joints. Ravenna Nocerre quickly checked her raiment. Everything was gone! All her weapons, armor, and spell components!

“At least I’m left my dress,” the red-haired elf fumed. The simple brown garment still covered her.

Ravenna battled the stiffness, struggled to her feet, stretched, and inhaled stale musty air. The floor, walls, and ceiling were stone. Her ilk’s prized sense of direction deserted her. Sparse furnishings in the eight-by-eight-foot chamber included a simple cot and washbasin. The irregular ceiling was eight feet above her. Webs of tiny luminescent spiders littered the walls and ceiling. A two-foot-wide opening divided the wall to her left. Cautiously the svelte Ranger crawled toward the opening. She actually welcomed the pain in her knees, hands, and feet. The severe throbbing headache was slowly leaving her. The opening beckoned.

“Too easy!” she thought.

Ravenna extended her delicate fingers and allowed one of her tiny eight-legged companions to ramble onto her hand. She tossed the spider toward the opening. The tiny creature met and invisible barrier. A small spark of destructive Magick and brief flicker of light avowed the arachnid’s doom.

“Hmm. I feared as much,” she mused.

Only Ravenna’s uncanny skills with the bow and blade rivaled her skills of Magick. Now, without weapon and spell components, the bewildered first female Ranger of Donothor dropped to the simple cot.

The Teacher Tull went to the first plant on the downward sloping terrain. The old Drelve sang in a low soothing voice. The plant curled its leaves and pulled in its barely visible needle-like thorns. The old Drelve then tenderly touched the spine of the upper leaves of the plant. The Enhancing Plant pulled its limbs upward and inward. This in effect changed the plant from a full bush to a thin narrow plant. Tull then removed a small spade from his pack and knelt to the base of the plant. He delicately inserted the spade into the ground and moved the digging instrument around the base of the plant. He gently pulled the entire plant from the soil, held it aloft, and exposed its roots to the graying light. The gray light from Andreas concentrated on the roots. The entire plant emitted a gray aura. Tull expertly exposed several thumbnail sized tubers dangling from the uncovered roots. He gently pulled the tubers from the roots, but very carefully left one of the tubers undisturbed. He then gently stroked the roots of the plant and carefully placed the plant back on the soft dark ground. The Enhancing Plant’s roots plunged back into the soil. Tull sang again, and the little bush expanded its branches and reopened its red flowers.

“That’s how it’s done,” the Teacher said matter-of-factly. “Disturb only the plants with flowers. That’s the sign that the roots bear mature tubers. Once we have harvested, I’ll tell you more of the Thirttene Friends.”

The young Teacher Pryam produced a smooth spherical gray stone. Three runes appeared on the artifact.

Ǿ ∞ Ǿ

 

The runes on the stone emitted gray light that mimicked the light of the Gray Sun Andreas.

Pryam continued, “Only four elemental stones and the Keotum Stone remain in Alms Glen. At the time of the disappearance of the Fire Wizard Yannuvia, the Mender Fisher presented a guard with the Keotum Stone, which affords protection from Magick. The Teacher Camille Aires discovered the Elemental Stones 13 years after the disappearance of Spellweaver Yannuvia and the folk of Lost Sons and 11 years after the erstwhile Teacher Kirrie and odd cherubic merchant destroyed two Kiennish forts and then disappeared. Though the stones are called Xennic Stones, our forebears possessed them long before the Spellweaver Xenn’s time.”

Xenn interrupted, “My mother Tiffanne told me she chose my name after a dream, not in reference to the stones. My name has served me well. Teacher, do the Annals speak of the significance of the name Xennic?”

Pryam stammered, “I…I thought you’d know more about the stones and derivation of your name. My forebear Kirrie wrote that the Lost Spellweaver Yannuvia first used the term Xennic. The lost Spellweaver said, ‘I’m told…Xennic Stones is merely a name for them.’ The Teacher Kirrie wrote of other stones. The General of Aulgmoor gave the Drelves a Healing Stone in an effort to form an alliance. The elders and the Great Protector Gaelyss surmised the Kiennite didn’t realize the significance of the artifact. Gaelyss kept the Healing Stone for a time, but the stone disappeared with Yannuvia and the folk of Lost Sons.”

The youthful Teacher Pryam and young Drelves clutched sacks containing precious enhancing root tubers. Necessity pressed Pryam into his role at an early age. The first Teacher Dirt was a prolific writer. If someone respected you as a writer, he said your name was Dirt.

In a trembling voice Pryam said, “I am not of much account. I did nothing.”

Xenn quickly interrupted, “Right now, I am not of much account.  You accomplished your task, Teacher. You kept safe the youth and the harvest.”

Alo added, “Using the blade and bow is not your role.”

Pryam observed, “Should we attend the dead enemies?”

Alo urged, “No time! We must seek the safety of the forest. The sounds and smells of battle arouse the beasts. Already the scavengers of the forest gather. Predators will find us.”

Xenn agreed, “Unfortunately I’ve used my strength. I can’t heal our wounded until I rest. Let’s make for Alms Glen!”

Drelvish scouts hurriedly searched the scorched clearing and recovered five Kiennish crossbow bolts, the Droll chieftain’s discarded hides, and a crude amulet made of odd mirror like scales within the thick smoldering fur. A simple necklace made of thick mooler hide fibers suspended the amulet.